Alpha Ian's The One and Only

Chapter 16

Ian and I walk the short distance to where Markson and three other wolves were waiting for us. The four werewolves bow, just the head. Feeling uneasy with all the bowing, I whisper to Ian, "Can you tell them not to bow? It makes me uneasy."

"They are showing respect to their Luna. It's the tradition to bow to the Alpha and Luna." He replies in a clear, even voice, sans the whispering.

"They may bow but think of me as a haughty bitch or someone unworthy. That is not respect; that is following protocol. Also, respect is earned, and I have done nothing to earn theirs. There are other ways of showing respect, anyways, instead of bowing."

I look to my right to find it empty. I look back to see Ian standing a few steps back, staring at me with an unknown expression.

"What? Why did you stop?" I ask.

He shook his head, "You are one strange woman, love. When I think that I have figured you out, you say or do something, surprising the hell out of me."

I grin, "Keeping you on your paws, am I?"

Ian chuckles, "Totally."

In two long strides, he is beside me, and we continue walking.

"Where are we going?" Markson asks, looking at Ian, who in turn looks at me.

"There is one spot, a ten-minute walk from here. My memory is a little rusty, but if I look closely, I think we will find our first clue. If there is one." I look at the four tall impressive-looking werewolves and feel like an imp in front of them. "I am putting you all in unnecessary trouble. I am sure you have more important things to do than follow my hunch."

Ian brushes off my concern. "If you think I am letting you go off into the woods with protection, you are mistaken. Wherever you go, I go, and when I am not present, my men will accompany you. It's not up for discussion."

Without further ado, I lead them. We navigate through the woods. It was easy at first since the trees were not too dense. Ian helped me over through a fallen log, but other than that, I held up my own. Being a non-active person, that's saying a lot to me. I took the time to study the three werewolves. Damien and Nicolas, the twins, walk ahead of us. They were like fire and ice. Nicolas has red hair and green eyes, a complete contrast to Damien's silver hair and blue eyes, which appear colder than a glacier. I have no idea how they are twins. But from their constant bickering, I can undoubtedly say they are brothers. The third warrior, Zack, walked behind us. With blond hair and blue hair, he is the complete Hollywood material. He is also the quieter one so far.

We reach the first stop within ten minutes. Now for the tricky part. The rest maintain their distance while I walk around in circles. The place has not changed since I last visited, except for the shrubs and small wild plants everywhere. I look for a small stone planted on the ground like a headstone with RJ carved on it. There, under a shrub.

"Which direction is the North?" I ask.

Zack points behind him, "This way."

I stand facing him and walk fifteen steps. Since my steps were smaller than Ryan and Jay's, I kept my count. On the fifteenth step, I turn right and walk another ten steps. I found myself standing in the middle of a small bush, which appeared as if someone had stepped on it. A little further I could see the ground was slightly disturbed. Ian comes to stand beside me, and others surround us. I kneel and begin to dig the soil.

Ian stops me. "Allow me. What are we looking for?"

I protest, but it fell on deaf ears. I sign and say, "A small box with the initials R and J." I should have gotten Claire's garden spade. I remove some wet paper napkins from my bag.